The Missing Link in Online Teaching

The Missing Link in Online Teaching

Teachers and Professors are navigating a strange and challenging academic year.  For months now, they have been working hard to address three concerns:

  1. Academic re-structuring
  2. Health and safety precautions
  3. Technological learning curves

But something important may be falling through the cracks; the human, social component.  The greatest tragedy for students during this pandemic is that they are missing the opportunity to connect with one another and build social networks. 

“…the remarkable coincidence [is] that during the same years that social connectedness has been declining, depression and even suicide have been increasing.”  Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community – Robert D. Putman

We have known this for a long time but COVID-19 safety precautions have exacerbated the problem in ways we could never have imagined.

The most effective way to address this is by building Community in the classroom.  Belonging to a Community engages a student in their education and facilitates teaching because the calibre of connections in a Community mitigates students’ anxiety.

Community building is the all-important fourth concern on the list.

At Kalliergo Community Building, we show teachers and professors how to build Community in the classroom.  We offer live, customized, experience-based Workshops via Zoom.

This professional learning opportunity is a valuable tool for every teacher’s toolkit, one that will serve them for years to come.  Participating in this workshop will augment teaching skills (online and off)  in a way that no other program can.  

Contact us to talk about scheduling a workshop for your school.

We have addressed concerns #s 1-3.  It’s time to get to #4: Community building.

If this post resonates with you, please share it with a school administrator or principal who you know.  Request my Portfolio to see feedback from previous programs and send that to them too.

It’s going to take a lot of us to change the world.

Photo by Philippe Bout on Unsplash

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About The Author


I have always loved writing and community building. I’ve written a book about healing and happiness, The Happy Place, as well as a Community Building book, Sounding the Drum: Community Building in the Digital Age,both available at any Amazon store. I’ve been through life changes that I thought were the end of my world, but I’m still here. You never know what will happen next. Isn’t that what makes life interesting?